Mohali, March 12
Expressing disappointment over India’s failure to force a victory in the first Test at Mohali, skipper Sourav Ganguly said the team would try to achieve a favourable result in the next Test in Kolkata.

ANXIOUS MOMENTS: Indian captain Sourav Ganguly bites his nails on the fifth day of the first Test in Mohali on Saturday. — Tribune
photo by Manoj Mahajan

Kamran Akmal sits on a TVS Victor motor cycle after being declared the man of the match on the fifth day of the Mohali Test on Saturday. — Tribune
photo by Manoj Mahajan

Former Pak captains shower praise
on team
Karachi, March 12
Pakistan’s former captains were unanimous in hailing the achievement of Inzamam-ul-Haq’s men who returned from the dead to hold India to a draw in the first cricket Test at Mohali.

TWI promises hi-tech coverage
Chandigarh, March 12
Trans World International (TWI) today promised more sophisticated and hi-tech coverage of cricket in India during the ongoing series against Pakistan. The first match of the series ended at the PCA Stadium at Mohali today.

Katich, Gilchrist prop up Australia
Christchurch, March 12
Simon Katich and Adam Gilchrist scored centuries in a 212-run partnership today which salvaged Australia’s hopes on the third day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand here.

Zimbabwe restrict SA
Centurion, March 12
South Africa were unable to achieve their expected dominance against a spirited Zimbabwe team on the second day of the second cricket Test at Centurion Park today. South Africa were 239 for five at tea in reply to Zimbabwe’s 269 all out.

India set up title clash with Pak
Karachi, March 12
India set themselves an opportunity to avenge for their defeat in the league match when they routed South Africa 3-0 and storm into tomorrow’s final against Pakistan in the four-nation junior hockey tournament here.

Tennis team for ITF tourneys
New Delhi, March 12
A seven-member tennis team, comprising five players and two coaches, picked by the All-India Tennis Association (AITA), left for Kuala Lumpur today to play four Grade I and one B-I Under-18 ITF Junior Tournaments to be held in South-East Asia from March 14 to April 18. The tournaments will be held in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan and Korea.

Team-mates congratulate Anil Kumble after he dismissed Pakistan’s Mohammad Sami to pick up his 450th Test wicket on the fifth day of the Mohali Test on Saturday. — Tribune
photo by Manoj Mahajan

Mohali, March 12
Expressing disappointment over India’s failure to force a victory in the first Test at Mohali, skipper Sourav Ganguly said the team would try to achieve a favourable result in the next Test in Kolkata. “I think we played well. But full credit to Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal. They batted really well and denied us victory. We will try to do our best in the rest of the series,” Ganguly said.

The team management decided to play three seamers on the Mohali track, known to assist seamers early in the match. Asked whether the decision to play three seamers and the exclusion of Harbhajan Singh was a correct decision, he said :”We had decided to bowl first if we won the toss to make the best use of the moisture that is initially there in the wicket. If that be the case, we certainly needed three seamers. And I believe they bowled well till yesterday.”

Elaborating Ganguly stated: “There was not much for the seamers as the match drew towards the close. They tried their best to unsettle the batsmen. In order to induce edges in the slips, they bowled around the off stump. They also tried to bowl straight to get lbw verdict in their favour, but unfortunately, nothing happened for them on the last day. At this stage the game drifted away from us.”

“Harbhajan is a key member of the squad. He is a world-class spinner and has the capability to do well on any surface. His chance will come, Ganguly said.

When asked about the inability of the Indian bowlers to dislodge the “tail-enders” after the visitors had been reduced to 257 for six at close yesterday, Ganguly retorted that Razzaq and Akmal were not tail-enders. “It was the question of getting good batsmen out, but we failed to do it in time,” he replied.

Ganguly said India had a good record in Kolkata where the team would go for victory.

“Considering that we had lost six wickets yesterday, it is a tremendous comeback,” a beaming Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq said.

Asked whether the performance in the Mohali Test would be a rebuff to his critics back home, Inzamam said: “I would rather thank them. I am more concerned about the way my team played here. As long as the players are doing well, I am not bothered.”

On how he viewed his team’s chances to save the Test after Pakistan had lost six wickets yesterday, the genial skipper replied: “Honestly, there was not much hope for us at that time. But we thought that if somehow we put 200 runs on the board we would have a chance to put up some fight. As it turned out, Razzaq and Akmal batted superbly and saved the game for us.”

Inzamam stressed that there was an urgent need to improve fielding. “Had we not dropped so many catches, it could have been a close contest.”

“I am happy that we were able to salvage a draw. This result will help us a great deal in the rest of the series. The boy are determined to do well in the series,” Inzamam replied when asked about the positives that emerged for Pakistan from the Test.

The 35-year-old batsman also defended his seamers, who initially were at the receiving end from a rampaging Virender Sehwag, who notched up a scintillating 173. “The way they came back on the third day I am satisfied,” he added.

Praising his late-order batsmen, the burly skipper said Mohammad Sami and Rana Naved-ul Hasan also showed a lot of grit and character while batting. Sami hung on and frustrated Indian bowlers for nearly an hour before he fell to an acrobatic return catch by Anil Kumble. This turned out to be Kumble’s 450 Test wicket. Not afraid to go for his strokes, a tenacious Rana stayed at the wicket for long enough to remain unbeaten on 38. He chose Zaheer Khan for special treatment, clobbering him for three boundaries in one over.

Queried if Harbhajan, had he played, could have posed some difficulty to his batsmen, Inzamam replied that his young batsmen had played the off-spinner in the one-day matches earlier and were expected to do well against him again.

“We will see the Kolkata wicket before announcing the team for the Test,” he said when asked whether there would be any changes in the squad for the next Test.

Inzamam stated that the morale of the team was high after the result in the first Test and the players would go into the second Test in a confident frame of mind.

Akmal, who notched up his maiden Test century and won the man of the match award, attributed his success to the guidance he received while batting from Razzaq. “He guided me from time to time, which helped m a great deal,” he stated.

Queried why he had to wait for so long when batting on 99 to complete his century, Akmal replied that he was waiting for a loose ball to hit and reach the three-figure mark.

“Since I completed a century, I will say it was good,” was his reply when asked to comment on the wicket.

If someone was to compare epic knocks played by batsmen, the 109 by little Kamran Akmal of Pakistan will rank very high. Playing under pressure at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Saturday, staring at defeat and in an alien country, Akmal produced a flawless innings which will earn him the confidence of millions of cricket fans at home. Actually it will take days for the enormity of his effort to sink in. And it was not just the turning point of the day, Akmal turned the match on its head.

Not to miss the point, questions were raised at home when he was preferred over the wily Moin Khan when the Pakistan team was selected for this tour. Akmal made his Test debut when Rashid Latif suffered a recurrence of a long-standing back injury during the tour of Zimbabwe in 2001. And prior to this epic knock, Akmal had played in two Tests against India during their tour last year in which he had scored a total of 45 runs in three innings.

When the match ended, television commentator Ravi Shastri asked him how he felt. Akmal choked on words. He had to be coaxed to speak louder. As he reached the hundred, the packed stands at the stadium gave him a standing ovation, fully realising that Akmal had done the impossible and they had watched history.

Meanwhile, on the pitch, Akmal hugged his partner Abdul Razzaq and looked to the skies thanking God. It was an emotional moment for both of them. One could make out from the body language of Akmal that the Indians also said “well played” to him. Akmal was nodding his head in the direction of one or two Indians, probably acknowledging the accolades which international sportspersons reserve for special occasions.

For the records, the heroic 109 by wicketkeeper-batsman Akmal and his defiant 184-run partnership with Razzaq (71) ruined India’s party. Nobody gave the visitors any chance as they led by just 53 runs with only four wickets at hand at stumps on Friday but Akmal and Razzaq made a mockery of the form-book and predictions. They rewrote a new chapter in Test cricket with their gritty display.

Razzaq was at the crease for five and a half overs while Akmal’s stay at the pitch was for four hours and during this period they grinded the Indian attack into dust and in the process created several records. But more importantly they gave a psychological advantage to their team, carrying the tag of underdogs even before they had left home, for the remaining part of the tour.

Karachi, March 12
Pakistan’s former captains were unanimous in hailing the achievement of Inzamam-ul-Haq’s men who returned from the dead to hold India to a draw in the first cricket Test at Mohali.

“Simply awesome,” said former captain Moin Khan. “It was a great fightback by the Pakistan cricket team. Pakistan have fought against all odds to fight out a draw. If luck had favoured Pakistan, I am sure they would have won the game.

“In my view, a new star on cricket horizon in the shape of Kamran Akmal was born today,” he added.

Moin pointed out that Virender Sehwag, who scored 173, was dropped by Taufeeq Umar and Younis Khan; Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 94, was given not out by Rudi Koertzen when television replays confirmed that he had been legitimately caught at forward-short-leg off Danish Kaneria; while Inzamam twice got tough leg before decisions.

“Frankly speaking, if you analyse the match in a broader prospective, Pakistan were a better side. They had been completely written-off and were branded as the weakest team ever to go on a tour. Credit must be given to Inzamam who led from the front and injected a new lease of life in his young outfit,” he said.

Another former skipper, Rashid Latif, said Pakistan managed to save the Test only because they played like a team, showed fighting spirit and planned the last day to perfection.
— PTI

Chandigarh, March 12
Trans World International (TWI) today promised more sophisticated and hi-tech coverage of cricket in India during the ongoing series against Pakistan. The first match of the series ended at the PCA Stadium at Mohali today.

TWI, who are covering the series for Prasar Bharati will set new standard in television coverage of the game, asserted IMG’s — of which TWI is the production arm — Senior International Vice-President Andrew Wildblood.

Talking to newspersons during the course of the Test, Wildblood said he was overwhelmed with the response his people and their work had evoked. “The response to our coverage has been unbelievably positive,” he said. “But then again, we are the ones who have always led the way. Television work is a combination of science and art and in Simon Wheeler we have the best artist there in this line.”

Eight and a half tons of equipment, 45 personnel and state -of-the-art cameras and lenses are what IMG have brought to the table this time. “If you remember, we pioneered ‘spin vision’ in the nineties and are now set to take it to another level. During the series, we will bring in ultra-motion lenses that operate at a 1,000 frames per second and the picture quality is extraordinary. To give you a reference, we now use equipment that works at 75 frames per second so we are talking about a better than 10-time jump in quality.’’

So what does he feel about the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s plans to run its own cricket-only channel? ‘’Well, it is not for me to comment on this, but we would be delighted to be involved in the production aspect if the BCCI thinks that is the way to go,” he said.aAnd where does he see IMG going in India? “We have been investing in India for over a decade now and have seen it change in so many ways, all of them positive. Our new chairman, Teddy Frostman, sees India as the most important long-term prospect,” he added.

Christchurch, March 12
Simon Katich and Adam Gilchrist scored centuries in a 212-run partnership today which salvaged Australia’s hopes on the third day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand here.

Katich scored 118 and Gilchrist made 121 in a seventh-wicket stand which spanned most of the day’s last two sessions and helped Australia to 432, one run behind New Zealand’s first innings score at Jade Stadium.

New Zealand faced six overs before stumps and were nine without loss in its second innings, leading by 10 runs overall.

Australia had been in danger of following on at 160-5, replying to New Zealand’s 433, and were still in trouble at 201-6 when Katich and Gilchrist came together before lunch.

Katich was then 46, batting circumspectly, but Gilchrist dragged his partner into an assault on the New Zealand bowlers which revived Australia’s innings and turned the tide of the match.

When the pair were finally separated, after four hours, 45 minutes, Australia were 413-7, just 20 runs behind New Zealand.

Australia suffered another small collapse after their separation: Katich followed Gilchrist to the dressing room when only five runs had been added and the last three wickets went down for 19 runs.

Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, the only New Zealand bowler granted respect by the Australians, dismissed Gilchrist and claimed four of the last five wickets to finish with 5-106, his 12th five-wicket bag in Tests.

Gilchrist’s mammoth innings ended in a fitting manner when he was caught on the very edge of the boundary by Iain O’Brien, running at full stretch.

His 14th Test century was a work of classic technique, skill and aggression and he wove into its fabric six sixes, many of them from Vettori, and 12 fours.

Centurion, March 12
South Africa were unable to achieve their expected dominance against a spirited Zimbabwe team on the second day of the second cricket Test at Centurion Park today. South Africa were 239 for five at tea in reply to Zimbabwe’s 269 all out.

AB de Villiers (47) and skipper Graeme Smith (41) got South Africa off to a rapid start, putting on 93 and scoring at better than five runs an over before Smith’s dismissal in the 18th over caused a change in the tempo of the innings.

The scoring rate slowed and no South African batsman was able to score a half-century against the team they despatched by an innings and 21 runs inside two days in the first Test.
— AFP

Karachi, March 12
India set themselves an opportunity to avenge for their defeat in the league match when they routed South Africa 3-0 and storm into tomorrow’s final against Pakistan in the four-nation junior hockey tournament here.

India’s all three goals came in the first half through Vikram Kanth (6), Birendar Lakra (25) and Ajitesh Roy (32).

In the tournament opener, India had suffered a 3-0 defeat against Pakistan, who in the first semifinal scored a thumping 7-0 victory over Japan.

However, Pakistan’s penalty corner conversion left much to be desired. The green shirts could convert only one of the five short corners. Japan were poorer with their short corner drills when they wasted all the six opportunities.

India also should have won by a more comprehensive margin but their forwards relied mostly on personal heroics and individual gamesmanship while in goal-scoring positions.

India were no less than pathetic with their penalty corner conversions as they missed all the nine goals scoring opportunities.

Indian coach Harender Singh, however, defended his team’s inability to convert penalty corners saying the services of Sandeep Singh were being badly missed.

“We are badly missing Sandeep Singh but frankly speaking, when we arrived here, we relied only eight per cent on penalty corners while 92 per cent on field goals,” the Indian coach said.

Asked to comment on tomorrow’s final against Pakistan, he said: “I think there will be more pressure on Pakistan because they are the home team and therefore, have the favorites tag against their names. Besides, I think they have a weak defence that moves slowly. Now its up to us how we can capitalise on this Pakistan weakness.”

South Africa will meet Japan in the 3rd/4th position match that will be followed by the final.
— PTI

New Delhi, March 12
A seven-member tennis team, comprising five players and two coaches, picked by the All-India Tennis Association (AITA), left for Kuala Lumpur today to play four Grade I and one B-I Under-18 ITF Junior Tournaments to be held in South-East Asia from March 14 to April 18. The tournaments will be held in Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Japan and Korea.

The players selected are Jeevan Neduncheziyan, Vivek Shokeen and Sanam K Singh, Sandhya Nagaraj and Madura Ranganathan while Gajender Singh and Hiten Joshi are accompanying them as coaches.

All-India Tennis Association secretary Anil Khanna said here yesterday that the tournaments would help the players improve their rankings and provide them exposure and experience to prepare them for juniors’ Grand Slam events.

Mr Khanna said the players could earn up to 150 points in the singles and 100 in the doubles.

BRIEFLY

Jaspal Rana, Jung shoot gold
New Delhi: Jaspal Rana teamed up with Samaresh Jung to fetch India the gold in the men’s standard pistol event in the sixth Commonwealth Shooting Championship at Melbourne on Saturday.Rana shot 580 alongside Jung’s 562 to aggregate 1,142/1,200 while England claimed the silver with 1,107 and the hosts Australia won the bronze with 1,106.With the gold, two silver and one bronze medal on the second day of the competition, India’s medal tally read 3-4-2, according to the National Rifle
Association of India statement here.The team of Jung and Mohammad Kalamuddin won the silver in men’s air pistol. India got another silver through Meena Kumari and Deepali Deshpande in the sports rifle prone women’s event.
— PTI

PSEB in final
Patiala: Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), Patiala, beat Sports Stadium, Muzaffarnagar, by 9 wickets to march into the final of the 12th Bhawanigarh prize money cricket tournament played at Bhawanigarh, near here, on Saturday.

Lehal leads
New Delhi: Sandy Lehal of GAIL shot a 9-under-par 63 to lead in the individual section of the 25th PSPB (Public Sector Petroleum Board) 36-hole two-day golf tournament at the Noida Golf Course today. At the second position was Vikrant Chopra of ONGC on 5-under-par 67 followed by Gaganjeet Bhullar of Oil India and Jasjit Singh of GAIL at tied third position on 4-under 68.

Irina Brar of IOC, playing against men for the first time in the season, shot a one-over-par 73. Shalini Malik of GAIL and Urvashi Sethi Sodhi of BPCL had identical scores of 5-over 77.Leading the field was GAIL whose top three amateurs had notched up a total of 11-under 205. ONGC and Oil India were tied at the second position with scores of 7-under 209.
— OSR